The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1887-04-16
|RISHMEN IN AUSTRALIA.

An Anglo-Australian on the Part Played
IN South Sea Nation Building
by Irishmen.
THE POLITICAL FREEDOM OF
Australia Grew With It's Physical
and Commercial Pro-
1t is easy for me as politician, ob-
serves Lew contributor to the Dublin
Freeman, to write about the Irish
statesmen who have contributed to lay
the foundation of Australian greatness,
for I have enjoyed the personal ac-
quaintance of most Of them. There Is,
besides, some practical advantage at a
moment when most of my countryrnen
appear to doubt the moderation Of
lrishmen Or their capacity for self-gov-
eminent to show that in Australia,
where they were in a numerical minor
ity, they generally contrived, by their
ability and political acumen, not only to
govern men Of their own nationality,
but exercise more potential influence
over the millions Of Englishmen and
Scotchmen who were their fellow colo
nists. I reco}lect being present when
an Englishman who, in his day, was &C.
counted the shrewdest as he was cer-
tainly the wealthiest man in all AUS
tralia, was being rather numerically
chaffed in a Melbourne club for his sup
port to the Irish party in the Legislative
Assembly. ''I vote fox them and with
them because I believe in them. When
I go to sea, like the captain to be an
Englishman, but my banker is always
Scotchman, and I think the chief sec
retary should be an Irishman. [ al
ways find that Irishmen are far more
conservative in their political instincts
than either Englishmen Oh: Scotchmen. y
Most Englisbmen act as if they thought
Irishmen were less law-abiding than
the dwellers upon this side of ST..
Georges Channel; my experience in
Australia teaches me that they may be
more sensitive to injustice and more
apt TO disobey laws which they regard
as oppressive; but once let an Irishman
believe that he is being treated with
fair play, and he is just as manageable
and far more conservative than the peO-
pie who now flatter themselves with
the idea that law and order are plants
which will never flourish in Ireland.
Australia will shortly celebrate the
centenary Of the arrival Of the first
feet in Botany but the political history
Of the country dates from far more
recent period. For nearly half CEN
tury the colonization Of Australia was
confined to the immediate neighborhood
of Sydney and to a few settlements in
Tasmania, but by degrees the advan
tages of enigation to Australia were
realized by many of the enterprising in
habitants of the mother country, and
about the date when her present majes~
ty assembled the throne the district Of
Port Philip, now the colony of Victor
ia, and the colony of South Australia
were founded, and under an Irish gov
ernor (Sir Richard Bourke) the waste
lands OF New South Wales were first
peopled, and 5he great pastoral indus
try of Australia took it's rise. The po-
litical freedom of Australia grew with
it's physical and commercial progress.
The energetic settlers who were at
tracted to Australia by It's magnificent
resources were not contented with a
system of government under which the
people had nothing to do with laws ex-
cept to obey them, and they soon COM
menced long aid persistent agitation.
which eliminated in the proclamation
of new constitution for New South
Wales, in which the representative ele-
ment was for the first time introduced.
Up to that period the Legislature Of
each Australian colony was composed
of government officers and few non
official nominees appointed by the
crown upon the recommendation of the
governor, who presides over their de-
liberations, and who, having vote and
a casting vote, besides holding in his
hands the appointment and dismissal
of the members, was virtually master
of the situation. The new constitution
of New South Wales introduced a GER
tain number of elected members, but
the franchise was restricted, and
though the nominee members were in
minority, the majority had no control
either over the executive acts of the
governor and his advisers, or over that
large portion of the public revenue, 10
cally termed territorial. which was de-
rived from the sale and occupation of
the crown lands. The Legislature had
the right of making laws, levying taxa
ton and limiting the expenditure OF the
ordinary resources. There its func-
t;ono .oooco1 Tho nn1i0v of fho